


A Visit Home

by AchillesMonkey



Series: Ace and Aro Fics [3]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Aromantic, Aromantic Bobbi Morse, Aromantic Jemma Simmons, Bisexual Bobbi Morse, Coming Out, F/F, Pansexual Jemma Simmons, Queerplatonic Relationships, pride prompts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-10
Updated: 2017-06-10
Packaged: 2018-11-12 12:53:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11162247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AchillesMonkey/pseuds/AchillesMonkey
Summary: Bobbi and Jemma go on a weekend trip to San Diego, and Bobbi ends up coming out as aromantic to her mother.





	A Visit Home

**Author's Note:**

  * For [theclaravoyant](https://archiveofourown.org/users/theclaravoyant/gifts).



> From a Tumblr Pride Prompt: more Simmorse QP

“Hey, Jemma, you got a minute?” Bobbi asked as she walked up to Jemma in the lab.

Jemma put her tablet on the desk and turned to face Bobbi with a smile. “Yes, of course. What can I do for you?”

“I was thinking about taking a couple days off and going to San Diego—I haven’t visited my mom in a while—and I was wondering if maybe you’d like to go with me?”

“Oh.” Jemma blinked and considered the offer.

“You don’t have to,” Bobbi quickly told her after Jemma didn’t respond right away.

“No, I’d love to,” Jemma reassured her. “I just didn’t realize we were at the meeting the parents stage in our relationship.”

Bobbi shrugged. “I’ve mentioned you a couple times, when I talk to her on the phone. I tell her you and I are friends. Is that okay?”

“It’s true,” Jemma said. “Are you out to her?”

“She knows I’m bi,” Bobbi said, “but not that I’m aro. I’ve thought about telling her, but I’m scared she won’t understand. She doesn’t know about SHIELD either. She thinks I’m a biologist.”

“When were you wanting to go?”

“Next weekend?” Bobbi suggested. “Assuming no alien threats ruin our plans.”

“All right,” Jemma agreed.

 

~*~*~*~

 

“Can we go over our cover story again?” Jemma asked. Their quinjet had just landed in San Diego and Bobbi was completing the post landing checks before they would go to into the main airport and be picked up by Susan Morse, Bobbi’s mother.

“You and I are good friends who met in the lab,” Bobbi told her. “I’m a biologist and you’re a biochemist. We both needed a break from work, so I invited you to come to San Diego with me.”

“Okay,” Jemma said, taking a deep breath and pressing her hands against her jaw and cheeks. “Biochemist. I can be a biochemist.”

“You already are a biochemist,” Bobbi reminded her, an amused grin on her face. She picked up her duffel bag and wrapped an arm around Jemma’s shoulders. “Come on, let’s go find Mom.”

 

~*~*~*~

 

Jemma stood in the middle of Bobbi’s childhood bedroom taking in the Star Wars posters covering the baby blue painted walls, the shelf full of trophies she had won for baton twirling and gymnastics, and the large teddy bear propped against the pillows on the bed. She turned and beamed at Bobbi who was standing just inside the doorway. “It’s very you,” she told her.

Bobbi smiled a tight smile back. “It used to be.”

Jemma sat down on the edge of the bed. “So what are we going to do while we’re here?”

“I was thinking we could go to the zoo tomorrow,” Bobbi suggested. “They have some really cool exhibits, and I haven’t been in years.”

“That sounds like a lot of fun,” Jemma agreed. “Do they have a reptile house? And we’ll need to visit the monkeys for Fitz. He’ll get so stroppy if I don’t take pictures for him.”

“Yes, there’s a reptile house, and yes, we’ll definitely visit the monkeys for Fitz,” Bobbi said, coming over to sit beside her on the bed. “We don’t want him stroppy.”

“This is nice,” Jemma told her, “having a break from work, just the two of us.”

“Yeah,” Bobbi agreed. “We should do it more often.” She leaned down and her lips captured Jemma’s in a very satisfying kiss. Jemma closed her eyes and opened her mouth to deepen the kiss.

“I put clean towels on the guest bed—oh!” Bobbi jerked away from Jemma whose eyes flew open to see the surprised face of Susan Morse. “Should I move the towels into here?” Susan asked, glancing between her daughter and Jemma.

“We’ll figure out the towels later, Mom,” Bobbi said, a blush covering her face. “Can you give me and Jemma a moment to talk?”

“Yes, absolutely,” Susan said, turning and walking back down the hall.

Bobbi shut the bedroom door. “I’m so sorry about that,” she told Jemma. “I’ll go talk to her and explain.”

“Is it going to be a problem?” Jemma asked, concerned. “I can always get a hotel room.”

“No, no,” Bobbi reassured her. “It’s not a problem. She’s completely accepting of me being bi. I just don’t want her to get the wrong impression about our relationship. I really like that we’re queerplatonic. I’ve just held off on telling her because it’s not really well understood by people who aren’t ace or aro-spec.”

“Do you want me to come with you?”

“No,” Bobbi said. “I think I need to talk to her on my own.”

Jemma pressed a quick kiss to Bobbi’s lips. “I’m here if you change your mind.”

 

~*~*~*~

 

Bobbi stopped just outside the kitchen and took a deep breath. Her mom was inside, gathering ingredients to start dinner. Bobbi thought back to when she’d come out as bisexual and wished they could have this conversation in the car like they had back then. It was a lot easier talking about personal things when eye contact wasn’t an expectation.

“Mom?” Bobbi said, entering the kitchen. “We should talk.”

“It’s okay if you want to bring your girlfriend here, Barbara,” Susan said, turning to face her. “I just wish you’d told me that’s who she was.”

“She’s not my girlfriend,” Bobbi said. “Not in the way that you’re thinking.”

Susan frowned. “I’m not following.”

“Well, Mom, I’ve learned in the years since coming out that sexual attraction and romantic attraction are two separate things. Most people’s sexual attraction matches their romantic attraction, so a heterosexual person is also heteroromantic. But with me, well, I’m what’s called aromantic. It means that I don’t feel romantic attraction toward others.”

“But you’re bisexual?” Susan asked.

Bobbi nodded. “I like sex, but I don’t like romance. Jemma’s not my girlfriend, because we’re not in a romantic relationship. We’re in what’s called a queerplatonic relationship. It’s something that’s more than friends, but isn’t romantic.”

Susan nodded, but she still looked confused. “I’m afraid I’m having trouble wrapping my head around this, Barbara,” she told Bobbi. “But I love you, and I accept you, and I accept Jemma as your not-a-girlfriend.”

Bobbi smiled, feeling relieved. She went over and hugged her mom. “Thanks, Mom. I’ll send you some links that will explain it more.”

“All right, dear. I’ll be here getting dinner ready if you and Jemma want to finish what I interrupted.”

“Mom!” Bobbi cried, blushing again. She grabbed two cans of Cactus Cooler from the fridge before retreating back to her bedroom.

Jemma looked up expectantly as Bobbi entered. “How did it go?”

Bobbi handed over one of the Cactus Cooler cans. “Good,” she said. “She doesn’t really understand it, but she’s accepting. I’m glad I told her. And I didn’t mention anything about your orientations, just that I’m aromantic and we’re in a queerplatonic relationship because of that.”

“I wouldn’t have minded if you had,” Jemma said.

Bobbi shook her head. “It’s not my place.”

“I’ll try to talk to her while we’re here, if that’s okay?” Jemma looked a Bobbi with a questioning expression. “Maybe I can help explain our relationship so she can understand.”

“That’s fine with me,” Bobbi said. She sat down on the bed next to Jemma. “What do you think of the Cactus Cooler?”

“It’s nice.”

“It’s my favorite, but it’s only available in California. One thing we’ll need to do before we leave is stop by the grocery store and stock up.”

“Good thing we brought the quinjet,” Jemma said. “So, do you think your mum will show off your baby pictures?”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, and for any kudos/comments! I'm accepting ace-spec and aro-spec pride prompts on my [Tumblr](http://unlessimwrongwhichyouknowimnot.tumblr.com) so send me an ask if you'd like me to write something!


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